Paper cup dispenser



Dec. 12, 1950 s. N. HOPE PAPER cup DISPENSER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 8, 1946 E mHR N m VL n Mu S Dec. 12, 1950 s. N. HOPE 2,534,169

PAPER CUP VDISPENSER Filed Nov. 8, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 SAMUEL N. HOPE f f 'l M ATTORNEY Patented Dec. l2, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PAPER CUP DISPENSER Samuel N. Hope, Wauwatosa, Wis., assigner to Griffith-Hope Company, West Allis, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application November 8, 1946, Serial No. 708,653

8 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to article dispensers and more particularly to dispensers for paper cups and the like.

An object of the invention is to provide a dispenser which will accommodate a relatively large number of stacked articles, such as paper cups. and insure smooth and reliable feeding of the articles regardless of the varying length of the stack.

Another object of the invention is to provide an article dispenser adapted vfor up-feed operation and having improved feeding means which will compensate for the diminishing weight of the stack of articles as they are dispensed.

A further object is to provide an article dispenser having a spring-urged cup follower which is so arranged as to facilitate the mounting and action of one or more spirally coiled feeding springs.

A still further object is to provide an article dispenser which is of simple and durable construction and which is capable of inexpensive manufacture.

The invention further consists in the several features hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating certain embodiments of the invention:

Fig. l is an elevational view of a cup dispenser constructed in accordance with the invention,

parts being broken away and parts being shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevational view of the upper portion of the dispenser;

Fig. 3 is a top view of the dispenser with parts removed and other parts shown in section;

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional elevational view of the upper parts of the dinpenser before assembly;

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevational view of a cup follower of the dispenser;

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view of the dispenser, taken generally on the line 6-5 of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a fragmentary detail view, similar to Fig. 5, showing a modified form of cup follower; Fig. 8 is a sectional elevational view, similar to Fig. 5, showing a dispenser with another modified form of cup follower, and

Fig. 9 is a transverse sectional view of the dispenser of Fig. 8, taken generally on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8. v

Referring to the form of dispenser shown in Figs. 1 to 6, 15 designates an elongated casing or container of tubular shape adapted to receive therein a succession or stack of articles to be dispensed, such as nested paper cup I6 of the type having a frustro-conical body and a resildOWIIWaTY.

ient beaded rim. The casing is preferably formed of a length of sheet metal tubing although in some instances it may be formed of non-metallic tubing of fibre or hardened plastic material. The casing is preferably mounted in a substantially vertical position and is provided with suitable means, hereinafter described, for feeding the cups in an upward direction. The lower end of the casing is partially closed, as by a sheet metal cross bar l1 welded in place. The upper end of the casing has tted therein a tubular sheet metal throat member I8 which at its upper edge is vertically slitted to form attaching tongues I9 bent outwardly into holes 20 formed in the casing near its upper edge. To the upper end of the casing is secured an annular sheet metal cap member 2l having inner and outer cylindrical walls 22 and 23 forming between them an annular groove 24vreceiving the upper end portion qi the casing. The short inner wall 22 ts within the upper end of the casing l5 and at its lower edge has tongues 25 which are bent outwardly into the casing holes 20, the lower edge of the inner wall being in contact with or close to the upper edge of the tubular throat member i8, as seen in Fig. 2. The lower edge of the outer cylindrical wall 23 of the cap member has a flaring outturned annular flange 26 which is adapted to support the casing on a suitable supporting member 21, such as a soda fountain top or counter top, the supporting member having a circular opening 28 for loosely receiving the casing. The vertical casing is of considerable length, so as to hold a relatively large number of cups, a typical casing for soda fountain use being about 2% feet long.

The inverted cups l5 pass upwardly through the throat member I8 and the uppermost cup is yieldingly restrained against withdrawal, as .by means of four circumferentially spaced embossments 29 formed on the inner wall of the throat member, these embossments being of rounded, vertically elongated shape and being engageable with the resilient rim portion of the cup.

The feeding means for the cups includes a spring-urged cup follower or carriage 311 on which the lowermost cup rests. The follower comprises a frame slidable in the tubular casing `I5 and formed by a pair of opposed sheet metal angle plates 3| and 32 having overlapping horizontal top fianges 33 of rectangular shape rigidly secured together, as by rivets 34, and aligned by interiitting upwardly-proj ecting embossments 35. The angle plates present parallel vertical vcheeks 36, the lower end portions 3l of which diverge 'The vertical side edges of Vthe Asprings in their proper positions.

cheeks 36 are close to the inner walls oi' the tubular casing I5 to guide the slidable follower' in a vertical path of travel, and the upward movement of the follower is limited by the bottom edge of the throat member i8. A shallow inverted cupshaped member 38 of sheet metal is centrally mounted on the upper frame flange 33 to center and laterally support the lowermost paper cup and is secured to the frame by a central screw 39 which is screw-threaded into the overlapping frame anges 33, the screw passing through a tubular spacer 43. The cup-engaging member 38 is further centered by the upper einbossments 35 which engage the inner periphery of the cupengaging member, as best seen in Fig. 6. The circular lower edge of the member 35 rests on the upper frame flange 33 and is spaced from the inner walls of the tubular casing. The lowermost inverted cup loosely fits over'the member 33 and `its beaded rim rests on the opposite end portions of the upper frame Jflange 33.

The cup follower 3D is urged upwardly by a pair of spirally coiled clock springs 4l and 42,

the former having its upper end riveted at 43 to the outside of the throat member I8 and the latter having its upper end riveted at 44 to the inside of the tubular casing at a region some distance below the throat member. It is preferred to attach the spring 4l to the throat member` before the latter is inserted in the casing. The

'upper end portion of the tubular casing has a vertical slot 45 which extends lower than the throat member and provides clearance for the upper end of the spring 4I, this spring passing into the interior of the casing at the lower end of the slot.

ts loosely between the follower cheeks and bears upwardly against another pair of similar rollers 49 which lie in a horizontal plane spaced downwardly from the plane of the rollers 45 a suiicient distance to avoid interference with the coiled end of the spring 4|, the rollers 4S being mounted in the same manner as the rollers 4G. Each of the springs 4! and 42 tends to roll up under its spring action and thus elevates the follower as the cups are progressively withdrawn from the casing. The rollers 45 and 49 insure smooth easy spring action and follower travel,

and also maintain the coiled portions of the The spring 4| acts throughout the entire range of travel of the cup follower while the spring 42 acts through the lower part of the range of cup follower travel, usually one-half to two-thirds of the entire travel. With this arrangement a long stack of cups will be properly supported and fed, and as the stack is reduced in height and weight the remaining cups will not be subjected to excessive feeding pressure.

When the dispenser is empty the springpressed cup follower is at its highest position in abutment with the lower edge of the throat member, and the auxiliary feeding spring 42 is rolled up slightly higher than the position seen in Fig. 2.

To load the dispenser, a stack of inverted cups is pushed downwardly through the throat member I8, causing the cup follower to move downwardly and the feeding spring 4I to unwind. The

rim portions of the cups are pressed inwardly as they pass the embossments 28, When the cup follower reaches the position seen in Fig. 2 the auxiliary feeding spring 42 becomes seated against the rollers 49, being guided by the diverging lower ends of the follower cheeks 36, and upon further downward movement of the follower the latter spring is also caused to unwind. If desired, the loading may be effected in two or more installments.

When a cup is to be dispensed, the protruding uppermost cup is grasped by the fingers and pulled upwardly, releasing it from the retaining embossments 29 of the throat member. The stack of cups is simultaneously lifted a short distance by one or both of the feeding springs (depending on the height of the stack) until the rim of the next cup engages these embossments.

The cap member 2i extends above the supporting member 21 and permits cleaning of this supporting member without danger of contaminating the cups. The entire dispenser can be easily removed and replaced as it sets loosely in the supporting member.

While the cup dispenser is here shown to be mounted in a vertical upfeed position, it is also possible to mount the dispenser in various other positions.

The modified form of cup follower 551 shown in Fig. 7 is similar to the construction of Fig. 5 eX- cept that the lowermost cup rests in a circular tray 5| which replaces the member 38 of Fig. 5, the tray being secured to the upper frame flange 33 by a screw 52. The tray has an upstanding marginal flange 53 confining the rim portion of the lowermost cup and has openings 54 admitting the frame embossments 35, In some instances, the tray flange 53 is cut away at 55 at diametrically opposite regions to provide clearance for the feeding springs.

The modied form of dispenser shown in Figs. 8 and 9 is suitable for large cups and includes a tubular cup casing i 5 with a lap seam 56. The dispenser has a cup follower 'I0 including angle frame plates 3| and 32 as in the device of Fig. 5. A cup-supporting plate ll of generally square shape with rounded corners is saddled on the upper frame iiange 33 and has downwardly offset opposite side portions 12, the top surfaces of which are coplanar with, or slightly higher than, the top surface of the upper frame flange 33. The embossments 35 on the upper frame flange 33 are adjacent to opposite side` edges of the plate 'H and serve to position this plate. In some instances, the plate 'H has notches 13 at opposite sides to t between the spaced pairs of embossments 35. Clearance openings 14 are formed in the plate for the frame rivets 34. A U-shaped sheet metal strap 15 has its yoke portion resting on the plate 'll and is rigidly 'secured to the follower frame, and as by a screw 16 and nut 1l, thus also securing the plate 'Il to this frame. The upper ends of the strap 15 are inturned and secured, as by welding, to the bottom face of an inverted cup-shaped member 18 which ts within and laterally positions the lowermost cup, as seen in Fig. 8. The follower of Figs. 8 and 9 is otherwise the same as that of Figs, 5 and 6.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a dispenser, the combination of a casing adapted to receive therein a stack of articles to be dispensed and having a delivery end, an arspring members each normally urged by its resilience to a spirally coiled condition and secured at its outer end to said casing, the coiled portion of each spring member tending to roll up toward the secured end of said spring member and engaging said follower to urge said follower in dispensing direction, the first spring member acting on said follower during the entire travel of said follower and the second spring member having its coiled portion behind the coiled portion of said rst spring member and being releasable from said follower when said follower reaches an intermediate point of its forward travel, the coiled portion of said second spring member having a forward terminal position at a point intermediate of the path of travel of said follower.

2. In a dispenser, the combination of a casing adapted to receive therein a stack of articles to be dispensed and having a delivery end, an article follower longitudinally movable in said casing, a pair of elongated first and second spring members each normally urged by its resilience to a spirally coiled condition and secured at its outer end to said casing, the coiled portion of each spring member tending to roll up toward the secured end of Said spring member, and front and rear sets of transversely extending rollers pivotally mounted on said follower, the coiled portion of the first spring member bearing against the front set of rollers and the coiled portion of the second spring member bearing against the rear set of rollers and being releasa-ble therefrom when said follower reaches an intermediate point of its forward travel, the coiled portion of said second spring member having a forward terminal position at a point intermediate of the path of travel of said follower.

3. In a dispenser, the combination of a casing adapted to recieve therein a stack of articles to be dispensed and having a delivery end, an article follower longitudinally movable in said casing, a pair of elongated rst and second spring members each normally urged by its resilience to a. spirally coiled condition and secured at its outer end to said casing, the coiled portion of each spring member tending to roll up toward the secured end of said spring member, and front and rear sets of transversely extending rollers pivotally mounted on said follower, the coiled portion of the first spring member bearing against the front set of rollers and the coiled portion of the second spring member bearing against the rear set of rollers and being releasably therefrom when said follower reaches an intermediate point of its forward travel, said follower having spaced cheeks diverging rearwardly to facilitate reentry of said second spring member, the coiled portion of ,said second spring member having a forward terminal position at a point intermediate of the path of the travel of said follower.

4. In a dispenser, the combination of a casing adapted to receive a stack of articles to be dispensed and having a delivery end, a follower longitudinally movable in said casing and comi,

prising a pair of opposed angle plates having loverlapping flanges secured together and having other flanges forming laterally spaced parallel versely between said cheeks and journalled therein, and feeding means for said follower comprising a spirally coiled`spring bearing on said roller means.

5. In a dispenser, the combination of a casing adapted to receive therein a stack of articles to be dispensed and having a delivery end, an article follower longitudinally movable in said casing and having longitudinally extending spaced parallel cheeks, rollers extending transversely between said cheeks and journalled therein, and an elongated spring member normally urged by its resilience to a spirally coiled condition and secured at its outer end to said casing, the coiled portion of said spring member tending to roll up forwardly toward the secured end of said spring member, and said coiled portion extending between said cheeks and bearing against said rollers to urge said follower in dispensing direction.

6. In a dispenser, the combination of a tubular casing adapted to receive therein a stack of articles to be dispensed and having a delivery end, means for feeding articles toward said delivery end and for yieldingly restraining the delivery of articles, and an annular cap member secured to said casing and having an annular channel receiving the delivery end of said casing, said cap member having an outer annular portion adapted to abut against an apertured support for said casing.

7. In a dispenser, the combination of a casing adapted to receive therein a stack of articles to be dispensed and having a delivery end, a follower longitudinally movable in said casing and comprising a frame having a front face with spaced projections, a cupped article-positioning member having a rim edge bearing against said face and laterally positioned by said projections, means for securing said article-positioning member to said frame, and coiled spring means for urging said follower in dispensing direction.

8. In a dispenser, the combination of a tubular casing adapted to receive therein a stack of articles to be dispensed and having a delivery end, the casing having apertures adjacent to said end, a tubular throat member disposed in the delivery end of said casing for yieldably restraining the passage of the articles, said throat member having bendable securing tongues in said apertures, an annular cap member having a channel receiving the delivery end of said casing and having an inner wall with bendable securing tongues in said apertures, and spring means for urging the stacked articles in dispensing direction.

SAMUEL N. HOPE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 992,471 Baldwin May 16, 1911 1,605,496 Barbieri Nov. 2, 1926 1,686,949 Brandt Oct. 9, 1928 1,878,354 Wessman Sept. 30, 1932 2,273,644 Hope Feb. 17, 1942 

